Diego Costa has been dropped from Chelsea's squad to face Leicester after a row with manager Antonio Conte, according to Sky sources.

It is understood he has not trained for the last three days after he was the subject of a £30m-per-year offer from a club in the Chinese Super League.

Sky sources understand the Spain striker has become unsettled by the approach from China, which would make him one of the highest paid footballers in the world, and he became embroiled in an argument with two fitness coaches.

Conte then stepped in and, according to Sky in Italy, the row ended with the Italian shouting: "Go to China!"

Diego Costa has been dropped from the Chelsea squad for Saturday’s Premier League fixture at Leicester City, after a row that involves a massive offer made to him from a club in the Chinese Super League.

The volatile striker has also clashed with one of the Chelsea fitness coaches over an injury that he feels he has been carrying, and he did not travel to Leicester with his team-mates on Friday. Costa has not trained fully this week and the manager, Antonio Conte, has become involved in the argument.

It is the situation involving the Chinese club that has led to the greater consternation at Stamford Bridge. Costa, in common with an increasing number of A-List Premier League players, has been the subject of an eye-watering offer from China and there is the fear at Chelsea that his advisers could be using it to lever him away.

Costa has recovered his best form this season and his goals have been instrumental in the club’s surge to the top of the table.

The hierarchy have taken a dim view of the situation regarding China and, amid fears that the 28-year-old’s head might have been turned, they have pledged to hold him to his contract, which expires in 2019.

Conte said at his press conference on Friday afternoon that he had at least one decision to take in terms of his selection for the Leicester game. “I have to check a couple of situations and then decide,” he said. “I don’t want to say exactly what and give an advantage to our opponent.”

He was also asked, in relation to Dimitri Payet going on strike at West Ham United, whether he had experienced any issues about players refusing to play for him. “It’s very difficult to talk and above all for me, it’s very difficult for me to talk about another player,” Conte replied. “For my club, for my players, we solve our problem if there are problems. This is important.”

Conte has just been named as the Premier League’s manager of the month for the third month in succession – a record – on the back of his team’s 13-match winning streak but after their defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on the Wednesday before last, he has been consumed with bouncing back. He could have done without this latest headache involving Costa.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... onio-conteDiego Costa has taken his first step towards reintegration into the Chelsea squad following his spat with Antonio Conte by resuming training with the team, with the striker hoping to play his part in the title pursuit before departing in the summer.

Costa had been working on his own since complaining of pain in his lower back a week ago, prompting a row with a member of Chelsea’s fitness staff who had doubted the validity of the injury. Conte, who supported his coach, made Costa train alone and omitted him from the squad who beat Leicester City on Saturday. Chelsea were convinced the player’s attitude was born less of an injury and more of interest from the Chinese Super League club, Tianjin Quanjian.

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The forward declared himself fit and, having been assessed by medical staff, was permitted to participate. Conte had never intended to speak to Costa to clear the air after the events of last week, preferring to seek out an improvement in attitude on the training pitch.

It will be down to the player to convince his manager he should be involved in Sunday’s visit of Hull City at the expense of either Willian or Pedro, both outstanding at the King Power Stadium in partnership with Eden Hazard.

Although Chelsea always envisaged Costa returning to the fold, there is an acceptance his stay is unlikely to extend beyond the summer. The owner of Tianjin Quanjian, Shu Yuhui, has admitted attempts were made to secure Costa with a £30m-a-year offer proposed to the player’s agent, Jorge Mendes, only for Chelsea to make clear their 14-goal top scorer would not be sold in the January window. That stance has never shifted.

The situation is likely to be revisited in the summer when other Chinese Super League clubs, as well as the player’s former club Atlético Madrid, are expected to rekindle their interest. Chelsea, resigned to the reality they will not be able to tie the striker down to a new contract with his deal due to expire in 2019, will be more open to negotiating the 28-year-old’s exit at that point.

The money raised through Costa’s sale will offer Conte more leeway in the market to secure a high-calibre replacement, with interest maintained in the Real Madrid’s former Juventus striker Álvaro Morata. The Spaniard, signed for the Italian club by Conte, came close to moving to Chelsea last summer only for Real to refuse to sanction the sale after exercising a buy-back clause with Juventus.

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Morata has only started six Primera Liga games since – he has scored five times –– and remains a long-term target for Chelsea. Players such as Romelu Lukaku at Everton and Crystal Palace’s Christian Benteke will also come under serious consideration.

Tianjian’s transfer policy has had to shift in the wake of the Chinese FA reducing the number of foreign players who can appear at any one time from four to three as it seeks to curb “irrational” spending. “I made an appointment with Mendes and he came to my hometown to visit me,” Shu told Tianjian TV. “At that time, we were interested in signing Costa. Paris Saint-Germain told us Edinson Cavani would only be allowed to leave in June, even though the player himself was willing to join us. The same can be said for Costa because Chelsea would only let him leave in June. However, the new season of the Chinese Super League will almost reach the halfway stage in June, we can’t wait so long.

“But this situation [with the rule change] has brought a change to our signing plans. We continue to wait and suffer, but at the end of the day we’ll get someone. We have targeted a lot of strikers, and made an offer for [Karim] Benzema, but with this policy change, we are very helpless.”

Chelsea have approached Middlesbrough over the availability of winger Adama Traore, according to Sky sources.

Traore joined Boro from Aston Villa on the final day of the summer transfer window, but has since attracted the attention of Chelsea boss Antonio Conte because of his pace.

The 20-year-old, who started his career at Barcelona, has featured 14 times in the Premier League for Aitor Karanka's side this season.

Interesting. Very interesting. Does Conte believe he has the necessary command of neurology to engage this tremendously talented chap's brain. Adama can combine brilliance with the brainless in so short an interval as to have Nsofalcott appear a genius.

I hope FA fine both Leicester and Chelsea.I knew Leicester wanted Chelsea win that game on Saturday.Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri wants fellow Italian Antonio Conte to win the Premier League title with current leaders Chelsea.

Ranieri, 65, led the Foxes to a surprise league title last season but his side are currently 15th, 31 points behind his former club.

"As former Chelsea coach and as an Italian supporter, I hope that Conte can achieve the goal," Ranieri said.

"He has shown that the Italian school of coaches is valid more than ever."

Ranieri is contracted to Leicester until 2020 but accepts his long-term future at the club is not safe, despite his success last season.

"I hope to remain in England," he added.

"I'm good here, even though in football one day you are in the stars and the next day in the dust, so never say never."

I hope FA fine both Leicester and Chelsea.I knew Leicester wanted Chelsea win that game on Saturday.Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri wants fellow Italian Antonio Conte to win the Premier League title with current leaders Chelsea.

Ranieri, 65, led the Foxes to a surprise league title last season but his side are currently 15th, 31 points behind his former club.

"As former Chelsea coach and as an Italian supporter, I hope that Conte can achieve the goal," Ranieri said.

"He has shown that the Italian school of coaches is valid more than ever."

Ranieri is contracted to Leicester until 2020 but accepts his long-term future at the club is not safe, despite his success last season.

"I hope to remain in England," he added.

"I'm good here, even though in football one day you are in the stars and the next day in the dust, so never say never."

So he puts his own career on the line just so his countryman can achieve success?

Get real.

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I hope FA fine both Leicester and Chelsea.I knew Leicester wanted Chelsea win that game on Saturday.Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri wants fellow Italian Antonio Conte to win the Premier League title with current leaders Chelsea.

Ranieri, 65, led the Foxes to a surprise league title last season but his side are currently 15th, 31 points behind his former club.

"As former Chelsea coach and as an Italian supporter, I hope that Conte can achieve the goal," Ranieri said.

"He has shown that the Italian school of coaches is valid more than ever."

Ranieri is contracted to Leicester until 2020 but accepts his long-term future at the club is not safe, despite his success last season.

"I hope to remain in England," he added.

"I'm good here, even though in football one day you are in the stars and the next day in the dust, so never say never."

So he puts his own career on the line just so his countryman can achieve success?

Get real.

Dude he has won them EPL and owes them nothing even if he take them to Championship.watch his tactics and how he set the players to failed for his country man to win the league also.

I hope FA fine both Leicester and Chelsea.I knew Leicester wanted Chelsea win that game on Saturday.Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri wants fellow Italian Antonio Conte to win the Premier League title with current leaders Chelsea.

Ranieri, 65, led the Foxes to a surprise league title last season but his side are currently 15th, 31 points behind his former club.

"As former Chelsea coach and as an Italian supporter, I hope that Conte can achieve the goal," Ranieri said.

"He has shown that the Italian school of coaches is valid more than ever."

Ranieri is contracted to Leicester until 2020 but accepts his long-term future at the club is not safe, despite his success last season.

"I hope to remain in England," he added.

"I'm good here, even though in football one day you are in the stars and the next day in the dust, so never say never."

Chelsea have approached Middlesbrough over the availability of winger Adama Traore, according to Sky sources.

Traore joined Boro from Aston Villa on the final day of the summer transfer window, but has since attracted the attention of Chelsea boss Antonio Conte because of his pace.

The 20-year-old, who started his career at Barcelona, has featured 14 times in the Premier League for Aitor Karanka's side this season.

Interesting. Very interesting. Does Conte believe he has the necessary command of neurology to engage this tremendously talented chap's brain. Adama can combine brilliance with the brainless in so short an interval as to have Nsofalcott appear a genius.

na lie..don't need him..he's played for two clubs already(Villa) for one so he's ineligible this window..and...if we want Pius Ikedia we can reach inside Onisha and get himPa

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